


Kill the Light

by WumpusWoo



Category: Akame ga Kill! (Anime & Manga), Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:35:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28902747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WumpusWoo/pseuds/WumpusWoo
Summary: A new world, new rules, same methods for Fireteam Zeta. Shoot bad guy's, stop the bad guy's, grab the loot! But getting stranded in a primitive world at war isn't very great for their morale, and neither is getting involved with a band of assassins called Night Raid...
Kudos: 4





	Kill the Light

D _o y_ O **u S** e _e_ _ **No**_ _ **W**_ _?_

They felt like they were drowning. Enveloped. Screaming.

**I** N lI _g_ _h_ _ **t**_ T ** _H_** e _R_ _e_ ** _i_** _S_ oN **l** _Y_ _ **WEAKNESS**_

Eyes were shut closed, yet open. An empty void, with no shape

**I** N lIght THeRe iS oNlY **_FAILURE_**

They woke up. An empty place, between the cosmos. Nothing here, but the original them. Sitting on a small box. Looking at them.

**I** N lIght _T **H** eRe_ _i_ S oN **l** Y _**DEATH**_

The original you stands up. They look at them.

**_We are not your friend. We are not your enemy._ **

They look at you, eyes empty. Nothingness. Dark.

**_ We are your Salvation. _ **

**XXX**

"AAAAH!" Screamed awake the guardian. Shooting upright from their bed, they gasped for breath, desperate for the precious air to fill their lungs. The bedframe creaked under the pressure, and they felt the mattress strain further. They needed to get a new bed.

" _Guardian! What's wrong? Are you sick? In Pain? Did the bedbug's attack you again? Ooooh Traveler!"_ Their ghost floated to their side, concern in her voice. Eliana was always a nervous ghost, one that always stuck close to their guardian. Her eye widened as she began to scan them, the bluish white light enveloping the guardian as they rubbed their eyes.

"Nothin El, m'fine."

" _This is the third time this month! You're clearly not doing fine! Please, talk to me."_ Eliana said to their guardian. Said guardian stayed still, ignoring the ghost. Quickly, they forced a smile on and looked at their ghost. "Just bad dreams. I'll be fine."

" _Ok..."_ Muttered the ghost. The guardian smirked, much more naturally this time, and patted the frame of their ghost. It lowered it's eye in response, and backed up as the guardian got out of bed. Their chest laid bare to the world, they only wore pants. Last nights bounty was tough, and by the time they returned to their home, they just threw off all their armor onto the floor and collapsed onto their bed, wiped completely. The quickly gathered their armor, holding it close as they made their way downstairs. The shack they lived in was vastly spartan and humble compared to their apartment in the Last City, but it would work for their current situation. Until their ship's could be fixed, they would stay here and survive.

Besides, it wasn't all that bad. The basement made a great vault for all of the fireteams stuff. Thank god for the Long Range Transmat System that they added onto Eliana. Too bad it was one way only, and the only one they had. Plus the bet was bullshit, stupid Maya and her gambling...never trust a Hunter when it came to a dare. Speaking of the basement...

The Guardian snapped their fingers and a small flame burned on their fingers. Walking down the stairs to the basement, they opened the small, wooden door. As soon as they stepped in, they dropped their armor to the floor, and grabbed a lantern. Snapping their fingers several times, they managed to produce a spark, which lit the wick inside. Candelight enveloped the entire room, and the Guardian put the lantern back down. The walls were covered with weapons and armor. The guns (Rifles, Sidearms, Handcannons, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, Fusion Rifles, Swords, Trace Rifles, Rocket Launchers, The works.) were put on the left side, while the armor took the right. The exotics were put in a special place at the back. The Guardian picked back up the armor, and placed it on it's shelf. The armor did good for last night, time to change into ol'reliable. Grabbing their usual set, they cleaned off some smudges from his Crown of Tempests before putting it on. Turning to the weapon side, They grabbed several weapons for the day, an IKELOS_SMG, the Trinity Ghoul, a Black Armory Baligant ZU7743, and their Mindbenders Ambition before reaching their Steel Sibyl Z-14 and...that.

_Oh, you come to me now? Oh, Murderer Mine._

They ignored that. Wasn't their usual heavy, just needed something that hit hard and constant.

Holstering their SMG onto their backs, and with El keeping the other two on hand in her storage systems, Perun walked to the lantern, and snuffed the flame. The other's would be back soon.

**XXX**

"I'm tellin ya Jace, the job's good! When have I ever been wrong?" Spoke the hunter who walked besides the Exo. Jace-10 widened his eye frames behind their helmet as he and his fellow guardian walked back to their shared shack. Perun should be up by now, hopefully making food. They were starving.

"Well, uh...there was that one time on Nessus where you and Catyln had a Sparrow Race across the Exodus Black.

"And I won, thank you very much. Worth every drop of Glimmer, that was." Cheerily responded Maya, the Awoken Huntress. She ignored the mocking laughter of her ghost inside her head as she skipped along the busy streets of the capital, followed by her good friend, the Exo Titan. She, like her companion, had to cover her face. Who knows how the people of this world would react to seeing a sentient robot and a blue woman in the middle of the street. Probably not good, she mused to herself.

"You still got the key Jace?" She asked her friend as they approached their shack. The small, dank, old, wooden shack that they had "acquired" from a serial killer they hunted down as their first job. Sure, it took a bit of elbow grease (and a lot of soap) to wipe away all the blood and disturbing drawings and such. But hey, the fruits of their labor bore well, and the house...wasn't as bad as before! She took that as a win. At least the basement was a good place to hold all their stuff.

"Uh...Uh..." muttered the titan as they searched their pockets for the key's. Sure, he could be described as a "gentle giant" (figuratively and literally. He was tall, even for an Exo Titan) but he suffered from the curse known as "constantly losing his shit." Losing or forgetting their stuff was something that he struggled with from time to time. But fortunately, lady luck was on their side today. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed as he pulled out the key's and dramatically held it aloft! What a stupendous occasion!

"Good, great, mind opening the door? M'starvin here." Maya said, to the embarrassment of her friend. He quickly unlocked the door, allowing the two to step inside before closing the door behind him. Taking off her helmet, Maya allowed her hair to fall onto her face, before blowing it out of her eyes. God she hated that part about her hair, it was always too long for her tastes, but for some reason she could never get it cut right. Stupid light. She had pale blue skin, and opal eyes.

Jace also took off his helm, revealing their robotic features to whatever outside observer was watching them, if they existed. Like all exo, he was a robot. His frame was red, with white details and stripes running across his face. Their eyes shown a bright yellow, and his horn was dull and had a round tip, an oddity among his fellow Exo.

"We're back!" Declared Maya's ghost as he faded into vision. This particular ghost, named Bill, was followed by Jace's ghost, Queenie. Bill spoke with a long lost accent, one that those from the golden age would call "Texan." Queenie said nothing, as she usually did. The ghost's cry was answered by Eliana, who floated from the kitchen. "We're getting food ready!" She spoke enthusiastically. Say what you will about her nervousness and general demeanor, she loved seeing her Guardian cook,

"Why thank you Elie, if I had a nose I would say it smells mighty fine!" Bill said, much to the mortification the other ghost gave. As the guardians and ghosts entered the kitchen, they were greeted to their Warlock cooking over a small stove. Aodh's helmet was off and on the table, revealing his grey shaved sides. He hummed a tune as he flipped over the meal in the pan, though if one listened to him they would be...disturbed by what he hummed. But that was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, as his fireteam sat down at the table, putting their helmets onto the table next to his. Maya sighed and leaned back into her chair.

"Holy crap am I tired. Whatcha got for us Perun?" She asked." The Warlock said nothing, except taking the pan and setting it down on a hot pad. The two guardians loomed over to see...something. "Uh...what is...that."

"Best we got." Responded the Warlock as they took a spoon and scooped some of the "meal" onto his plate before taking a bite. He chewed for a few seconds before swallowing. The others watched in anticipation, but no reaction came from the Warlock. "It's potato and pork."

"Alright..." Muttered the Exo as he and the hunter began eating too. The food wasn't as terrible as they thought it would be. Not great, but they've had worse from Perun before. Funnily enough, despite his ghost's love for the culinary arts, the Warlock himself had little skill in the craft. Sure, he could summon balls of the void to hurl at his enemies, or draw a blade of solar light to cleave through fellow guardians at the crucible, or (his favored ability) draw from the primordial storm itself to disintegrate all in his path with bolts of lightning, all of that ability and skill but he could not cook very well. Truly, his most grand flaw. They ate in silence, the two non-humans finally relaxing after their nightly bounty. It took a few minutes before Jace perked up. "Oh! We forgot to tell you, Maya found us a job!"

"Oh really?" Said the Warlock as they turned to the Awoken. "And pray tell, what is this "job" exactly? Please tell me it isn't as much of a disaster as the last one."

"Hey, not my fault that the party turned out to be a murder orgy! And we got paid didn't we?"

"After we killed them all when one of them drunkly tried to stab us because he could "sense the pure sex and lust emanating from our bones."

"And we got paid by the guard for telling them the truth. Far as I see it, I'm completely and utterly vindicated of any potential fault here." She raised her hands in mock surrender, much to the annoyance of their Warlock. "Just tell me the job already." He growled.

"Alright Alright, don't get your panties in a twist." She waved off before leaning in. "So, there's these nobles who want protection. See, their last bodyguards wound up in an unfortunate accident and they're in the process of hiring new, permanent ones. What they need right now though are temporary ones, those who'll protect them for a few day's and won't ask any questions. So...my idea is that we take it for a few day's. Guard them for a few day's, get paid, get out." She was met with silence from her friend, who only looked at her in silence. "Ehh, eeeh? Whatcha think?"

"...You do realize that these nobles are mostly likely fucking lunatics like every other noble we've seen or met in this cursed planet we're trapped on?"

"Yeah, so what? We see some shifty shit, we just kill 'em all and report it to the police as Night Raid or some shit. If not, we found the first not insane noble family on this rock." She kicked back and put her feet on the table, smirking to her friends. "So, I already know that Jace, Bill and Quennie's in. Just gotta get you and Eli's A-Ok for our unanimous agreement."

The unanimous rule was a, if not the, essential rule of Fireteam Zeta. Ever since their founding back with the Black Garden, then onwards to Crota, The House of Wolves, Oryx, the Siva Crisis, the Red War, The shit with Osiris, Xol and Rasputin, Uldren Sov, Eris and the Moon, and recently...Europa. They didn't talk about Europa. Each of them had met at the tower, with each of them being freshly resurrected. Maya came from the Ruins of the Cosmodrone in old Russia, having fought through the Fallen stationed there to secure a jumpship. Jace hailed from the ruins of Egypt, underneath the shadow of the ruined pyramids of a long dead age, and met with a scouting party of fellow Guardians after having to fight an armada of Cabal. Perun hailed from the swamps of old Chicago, having walked all the way to the Last City, fighting whatever Fallen or Hive that had attempted to slay him. They met at the same day, arriving at the same time, in the same place. Coincidences aho!

So naturally, they saw each other, locked eyes...and then walked away from each other and didn't meet again until they found each other by coincidence (again) at the entrance to the Black Garden. They had taken different journeys, met different people, but all of them had been aided by...someone. An Exo, who claimed she was not forged in light, but helped them regardless. Odd. Thus, once meeting each other again, they worked together to destroy the Heart, and formed Fireteam Zeta, the hero's of the Last City.

Perun sighed, resting his forehead in his palm, before his violet eyes gazed at his ghost. "What do you think?"

"Well, we haven't had a big job in a while, and we're running low on funds...but the noble could be evil...but we need the job..." She continued to mutter to herself, anxiously going over the proposed plan. Everyone else watched patiently, they were used to this sort of behavior. "Oh fine. I'm in" She finally exclaimed after several minutes of debating to herself, spinning around next to Perun head.

"Then I agree as well." And with that, Maya clapped her hands in relief.

"Jace, we have a winner! First prize goes to us, cause Fireteam Zeta got a job!"

* * *

Perun walked the streets in somewhat of a foul mood. He should've known that Maya didn't want to volunteer first shift on the job, because she was lazy. Jace-10 was, for lack of a better term, too stupid to also volunteer,. Meanwhile, Perun had legitimate research to conduct on a body of one of the Danger Beasts, to test and see if there was any connection between Light or Dark in the carcasses of these monsters. Thusly, the longtime tradition of Fireteam Zeta was enacted: Roshambo.

The Stormcaller once more cursed the names of his fellow fireteam members. Jace was too full of dumb luck to loose one of these games, and Maya could tell what someone was going to throw out before they could even think it. "Hunter's intuition" she called it. More like Hunter's bullshit.

As he walked down the streets, he kept his bow and sword onto his person. The people of this planet must have de-evolved after the collapse, there was no other possible way to explain their lack of technology. Even the simplest Handgun would startle them fiercely, as (advanced) firearms were rare and only in the hands of the military or the elite forces of the Empire. So, best to keep the more "practical" weapons on their person more often than not. That didn't mean that people didn't stare at him in awe or fear. A tall man in robes, a bizarre looking crown, wielding a sword and a bow? He could understand the common peoples dread.

He turned the corner on a street, when he bore witness to a somewhat amusing sight. A young man, with a pale brown shirt on, a large bag on his back, and a sword at his side, being thrown out of a building. The sign up top said "Army Recruitment."

"What the heck?! At least give me a test!" He shouted to the door, and out stepped a small, angry man.

"Don't be stupid! With the Depression, I'm up to my ears in applicants! We can only hire so many, and I'm not going to waste a spot on some stupid kid." The boy looked confused, judging from the wide eye expression he gave off. "Huh? A depression?"

"Now get outta here, ya damn brat. Beat it!" And with that, he slammed the door closed in the young mans face. The hopeful army recruit grumbled in annoyance before slumping down onto the ground. Perun snorted, before making his way along. Poor kid, such is life though. He didn't get past the kid before ignoring his mumblings like "staging a kidnapping" or "robbing a bank." Once again, not Perun's problem. He kept walking, or at least wanted to, before he heard a new voice as soon as he passed the kid.

"Hello~!" A woman's voice. "Now what's with the long face, little guy?" Smooth and sultry. Perun glanced behind him, while the kid looked up. Now, if you, dear reader, was this young man, you would bare witness to a sight that many horny teenagers would lose their shit over. However, since Perun was an immortal god slaying demigod-like warrior of the Light, and not on the ground, he could see the whole figure. She was young looking, 20 or so if he judged correctly. Blond, with short hair which had two long tufts go down over her shoulders. Her clothing choices weren't practical at all, with it being extremely revealing in general. Her golden eyes complimented her smile, but something was amiss, she was hiding something. "It'll be alright, Big Sis is here to cheer you up!"

Perun shouldn't have cared, he really should've just kept walking and make his way to the designated meeting zone for his charge to arrive. But Ikora always told him that he couldn't help getting into other peoples business. It was in his nature to get involved, no matter how much he didn't want to. Damn him and his nature. And so, he watched the exchange. The young man muttered some more, his mouth just as wide as his eyes.

"Huh? Try to focus here buddy" She spoke, her eyes neutral now. She resumed her cheerfulness as she said "So, let me guess. You came in from the countryside in search of fame and fortune, didn't ya?"

"How'd you know that?" The kid shot up off the ground. She closed her eyes in reminisce.

"I've lived here for a long time. By now, it's super easy to spot a new face." She then opened her eyes, and looked at him directly. "Hey, I know the secret to becoming an officer in the army super quick." That stunned the kid, sending him reeling back in shock. "You do? Tell me!" It was at this point that Perun decided to speak up. "Really, I'm quite curious as well."

**XXX**

Tatsumi tore his eyes off the woman of his dreams to behold a new figure in the conversation. Holy crap, this guy was horrifying! Not scary in the traditional sense, no. But they had an air around them, something in their general position that screamed "I will destroy everything you love and hold dear without a second thought if you fuck with me."

The mysterious figure stood tall, taller than both him and the woman. They had strange armored robes on their person, and covered their face with some sort of crystal mask with jagged thorns on top that formed a crown. On their back, he could see a large bow with gears in it, and an intimidating sword. They stepped forward more, before leaning on a wall. "Well, go on. What is the secret, Ms..."

The girl, having also been stunned, quickly resumed her smile and spoke up. "Just a girl with the knowledge to survive, And I think I need to know your name as well Mister."

"Me? Well, I'm just a Drifter, wandering these parts in search of good work. Heard the army's paying well in these, well, troubling times."

"Well then, mister "Drifter", I'll let you in onto the secret too, if you need the work that bad." Her smile stayed on, but the man seemingly looked at her blankly. Tatsumi couldn't tell if they were glaring at her or not. He then decided to get back in on the discussion. "Hey, you promised to let me know!" She then turned around to him. "Aww, did you think Big Sis forgot you? Have no fear, I shall teach you the secret!" She gleefully spoke. "But first...you got to treat me to lunch." She finished this with a large grin as she cocked her head to the side. Much to the flabbergast of Tatsumi.

_Ten minutes later_

The girl finished off her 4th mug of beer with a satisfied "aahh." Much to both the relief and shock of Tatsumi, who watched with his own, first, mug of beer only half finished. Drifter had joined them, only sitting down and refusing a drink. "Man, nothing beats booze in the middle of the day!" She then passed a bottle to Tatsumi. "Go ahead, drink up! They 'res still a little more left." But at this point, Tatsumi had had enough. He slammed his hands down on the table, and spoke drastically, "Forget the drinks and tell me how to become an officer!"

"Oh yeah, about that..." She said as she began to pour herself a shot of whiskey. "First your gonna need a lot of money."

"Money?" He asked, confused. Drifter snorted, why would he? Wasn't he also looking for this job?

"Ya see, I just happen to know someone in the army. He can hook you up if you make it worth his while."

"Ok then...Let's see..." He then reached down into his bag, and grabbed the bounty of coins he had on hand. "Would this be enough?" He asked as he put the money down on the table.

"WOO! What do we have here!"

"It;s just some reward money for killing some class one Danger Beast, no biggie." Tatsumi bragged. Surely this would impress her!

"Hmmm, big guy. You might just jump straight up to captain!" That was what he wanted to hear, it was perfect! "Yeah! Let's hope so!"

She then stood up from the table, stretched, and began to walk away. She turned her head around, and said "I believe our little encounter's been educational in more ways than you know kid." She then turned to drifter, who leaned back in his chair, boots propped up onto a table. "What about you Drifter, got anything that can help?"

"M'fraid not Miss. Just dust in my pockets and some arrows in my quiver, ya dig?" His sarcastic tone seemed...forced to Tatsumi, though he didn't know why. "Mmm...Alright then. Take care of yourself, 'Drifter.'" She then waved her goodbyes to Tatsume, saying "I'm gonna go talk to him. You wait here ok?"

"See ya~" Tatsumi said, lovestruckingly. The "Drifter" snorted again as she left, before speaking once again. This time, not in the aloof way as he had before, but rather cold and serious, like he was putting on an act earlier and was revealing himself. "You do realize you just got scammed kid, do you?"

"No way! She'll come back, soon!" He exclaimed, but immediately began to regret it when the figure seemingly glared at him.

"Whatever floats your boat kid. Best of luck to you." And with that, the man stood up from his chair, stretched his arms up, and began to walk away, but not before flicking the bartender a gold piece. "For your troubles."

"Thanks."

**XXX**

" _So...care to tell me why you were channeling the Drifter back there?"_ Asked the quiet voice of Eliana inside his head. As Perun made his way to the meeting spot, he answered his ghost. "What else could I do? Be myself when talking to that scammer? Far as we both know, she could be an imperial spy trying to weed out the weak. Best be careful at all times and not show ourselves."

" _Alright...I don't exactly get it, but alright..."_ Responded the ghost. She then quieted herself as her Guardian reached his destination. A small cafe on the corner of a street, where a young girl sat at a table sipping a cup of coffee. She had blonde hair, along with shoulder-length hair topped with a fluffy light blue accessory. Her eyes, a blue shade. The girl wore a sleeveless light blue dress, with a black bodice, and white frills, with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath and a light blue ribbon on her neck. Her boots were also white. She screamed quintessential rich girl.

Perun groaned internally. If stereotypes proved true, especially this world, then she was going to be a spoiled brat.

He approached her, but was stopped by a guard in full plate. "What business do you have with Lady Aria?"

"Relax, I'm her assigned body guard." He responded, much to the confusion of the guard. But the girl spoke finally, saying "So you're the one who my parent's hired to protect us?"

"That is correct. I am Perun." He answered quickly. Aria's eye's widened for a second, before she smiled and spoke once again. "You're very tall, aren't you? I'm sure my parent's choose very well! Have some coffee please?" She gestured for him to sit down, but he shook his head no. "That would be improper Miss. I'm simply here to protect you."

"I see..." She muttered, before she sipped her drink to finish it off. "Well then, let us be on our way."

And so, the day went by. The hour turned late, and the missus did her daily tasks of shopping for the coming royal gown that the prime minister was hosting. She had a royal youth contest to worry about after all, she wanted to look her best! Perun for his part stood nearby her, keeping a vigilant eye at all times. Thankfully, due to his intimidating stature, he only had to break the fingers of 3 thugs and attempted pick-pockets from getting anywhere near his charge. His fellow guardsman was both disturbed...and impressed by him. It wasn't often one would cross paths with a figure like Perun.

It was in the evenings as the carriage they were riding trotted along the main streets towards the highway back to the mansion when Aria stopped the horses. Perun sat on the front of the carriage next to the other guard, and listened to his charge's order. "Stop the carriage!"

"Are we really doing this again, M'lady?" Asked the other guard.

"You know I can't help it!" She responded as she stepped out of the carriage. Perun got off as well, and followed her. They turned to the street side to see...the kid from earlier? What was he doing here? Judging from the way he was slumped over like that, seemed like he got the lesson into his head. As Aria approached him, Perun stayed a distance away, ready to draw his bow if need be.

"Excuse me?" She asked the kid, who looked up at her. "Uhm, if you need some place to rest your head tonight, you're welcome to come home with me." She offered, but he didn't seem to respond with any enthusiasm.

"Uh...thanks. But I'm broke." So, he got the memo. Good.

Aria only giggled at him. "Well, if you weren't you wouldn't be here now would you?" It was at this point that the other guard approached the two. "Lady Aria has a bit of a weakness for helping those with no where to go. You really should accept her offer." The kid, for his part, looked at him in silent confusion. Aria then spoke once more, asking "Pretty please?" as she smiled.

A small blush creeped onto the kids face, before he stammered out "W-Well, it's better than sleeping out on the streets I guess..."

"Great! Let's go home!" Aria perked up at this, before reaching down to pick the kid up. As she led him to the carriage, the kid finally noticed Perun. "You!"

"Me." Perun responded simply. Aria was confused. "Hmm, Have you two met before?"

"Yeah, he was there when that lady scammed me out of all my money!" He pointed his finger at Perun, who if he reacted at all to this in anyway, he gave no sign. Instead, the Warlock responded. "And if memory serves both of us well, I told you that she scammed you, but you disregarded my advice."

"Oh...yeah...right..." He then laughed nervously, before offering his hand. "Sorry about that. My name's Tatsumi." Perun took it, shaking it.

"Perun."

"Wait, I thought your name was Drifter?"

"The capital is a dangerous place. You know what happened with your money, why would I give a scammer my own name?"

"OOooooh, that makes sense." With that, Tatsumi joined Aria in the carriage, and Perun took his former seat at the front. With that, the horses were moving once again, towards the mansion. However, neither of them noticed the watching eyes from the alleyway, peering at them with intent. Neither too did those eyes notice two figures above on the rooftops, watching over their fellow fireteam member.

* * *

"Aha, I see Aria has brought another visitor!" Exclaimed the exuberant voice of Aria's father, one Master Sadique. An older gentlemen, he sat tall with broad shoulders, and had a greying mustache to compliment his age. Next to him sat his wife, Lady Sadique. The spitting image of Aria, if only a little older. Tatsumi stood before the family as they sat down in the living room, and Perun stood by the sidelines, watching closely and guarding them. So far, they had given no sign of any ulterior motive, but he was still cautious. Experience on this planet had taught Fireteam Zeta to always trust no one but themselves, their ghosts, their guns, and the light.

"Goodness! It must be a habit of hers." Lady Sadique commented on her daughter's action. "How many people does this make?" She asked, but was reprimanded by her own daughter.

"O-Oh! Thank you so much for having me." Tatsumi stuttered out as he bowed to the noble family, making sure to go low, as to show respect and thankfulness. The master of the house began to speak again, about how it was no problem and they were always glad to help out any stranger they came across. However, both Tatsumi and Perun paid little attention, and instead focused on the guards. Tatsumi thought how big and strong they were, and how that must be the reason that the Sadiques were able to be so kind, as well as how wrong he was to assume everyone in the capital were selfish and cruel. The Warlock, on the other hand, was making mental plans on how to take them out in the quickest and most efficient way possible without losing valuable bullets. It was hard for ghost's to synthesis new bullets ever since the Red War, and Perun couldn't waste any of them if he had to make a getaway from this place when he potentially killed these nobles. It wasn't guaranteed to happen, but he had to make contingencies

"I really appreciate all of this." Tatsumi said as he once again bowed. Master Sadique smiled to him and spoke. "Well, we are thankful that Aria was able to find you in time. Please, have a seat." He gestured to the empty chair, indicating for Tatsumi to sit down. However, just as the young man did so, the master stood up." Oh, before I forgot." He then turned to Perun. "May we speak in private?"

"Yes sir." Answered the Warlock, who followed him out of the room. As they walked down the hallway, Perun whispered to his ghost. "Transmat me a sidearm. Silenced."

_"Uh...here you go."_ The ghost stammered before the warlock felt atoms rearrange themselves around his left hand. In an instant, a white flash of light was masked by his closed hand, and he felt a Lonesome sidearm slip into his hand.

"Hmm? Did you see something?" Master Sidique turned around, but Perun hid his hands behind his back. "No sir."

"Are you sure? I swear I just thought I saw a flash of light from the corner of my eye." He was met with the shaking of Perun's head, after that he shrugged, and continued his way down the hall. "Next time," Perun communicated with his ghost, "Try to be a bit more discreet."

" _Sorry!"_ She whimpered, before quieting down. Perun sighed internally. He loved Eliana, he did. She was his ghost, his closest friend, the one who always had his back no matter what. She just needed confidence in herself. Of course, one could say he needed to lighten up a bit, but that was neither here nor there.

They soon reached his office, a large room filled with antiques and mementos of battles and hunts. Paintings adorned the walls, and a desk sat in the middle of it all. A fireplace behind it. "I must admit, when your friend came to me and spoke highly of your companies abilities to protect my daughter, I had my doubts." Master Sadique said as he sat down at his desk. Perun stood before him, arms behind his back, straight.

"But, Aria told me you were a _wonderful_ bodyguard for her today! Quiet, respectful, protective, and more than a little intimidating!" He praised the Warlock, who nodded his head. "Thank you sir."

"I was made aware of your companies membership, and how the three of you would be splitting the job in three, by a two day basis. A...highly unorthodox approach for protection services. But, if I can judge your teams abilities from only you, then I know I made the right choice!" He smiled as he pulled out a small purse of gold from his desk, and handed it to the Warlock. "I look forward to seeing how the rest of your team performs."

"We won't let you down sir."

"Indeed!" He laughed as he clapped the Stormcallers back. "Now, let us rejoin the rest of the family. I trust that you'll begin your nightly patrols now?"

"Yes sir." The nobleman smiled as he walked back to the dining hall, leaving Perun alone. He glanced from side to side, before relaxing a bit and giving out a sigh of relief. "We're clear." He said aloud as he loosened his tight grip on the sidearm he had in his right hand.

" _Y-You really shouldn't be holding it too tightly y'know? Y-You could accidently fire!"_ Stammered El as she popped up into reality with a small flash of light. "Nerves, El. We all get them. Begin scans." He ordered the ghost, who immediately complied. She then flew around the room, emitting a blue light from her eye as she scanned everything she could find. Books, papers, documents, everything. Perun, for his part, was looking through the desk. "Have you found anything yet?" He asked the ghost. Maybe his luck wouldn't shoot him in the face today for once, and they wouldn't find anything suspicious here.

" _So far, I see no-Wait!"_ El exclaimed, her voice trembling. " _B-b-b-blood!"_

"Goddamnit. Every time!" Perun hissed to himself. "Stay hidden and scan the entire house. I'm going to do my patrol."

_"Alright then..."_ The ghost muttered to herself before she continued to scan the office. Perun then left the room, and began walking down the halls of the manor on patrol. His eyes flickered across to every shadow, every creak, everything he could see.

**XXX**

Morning had come, and so too did Aria's shopping trip back in the capital. As Aria went into a clothing store, Tatsumi was found standing next to Perun, the former of the two sweating nervously. The Warlock was still intimidating to the young man, despite him only standing there in wait for his charge. Desperate to avoid any further awkwardness, Tatsumi turned around to the cart they were protecting, full of gifts and other bought goods. "Lady Aria's a pretty serious shopper isn't she? I mean, I don't think I've ever so much stuff before."

"Our charge has her vices, as does everyone else. Best not to worry about it." Perun answered.

"I mean, I've never seen a woman shop so much. My friend doesn't shop that much, she just wears whatever she has." He replied, but in his head was imagining Sayo, his friend, shouting at him."

"Like I said, we all have our vices." Perun responded, as he looked away from the younger man. As another air of silence fell between the two, Perun glanced up at the Imperial Palace, looming over there. "Tatsumi, you're from the countryside, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?" He responded. Perun then pointed up towards the palace. "That castle up there is the center of the entire empire. Every decision, every political change, everything that happens in this country, can all be traced to it." Tatsumi, for his part, was stunned. It was huge! Ginormous! He had never seen such a sight before in his life.

"Woah...I've always wanted to see where the Emperor lives and make decisions for the whole country." This statement made Perun chuckle to himself, a slow, sinister laugh. Tatsumi glanced to him, and the Stormcaller spoke.

"You really think the emperor makes the decisions in this damned country?" He ignored the kid's confused face. "The emperor here is but a child, with the prime minister pulling the strings. A shadow ruler, he rules with an iron fist."

"The minister-" Before Tatsumi could speak, Perun covered his mouth with his hand. "Silence you fool! Watch what you say, the Prime Minister has eyes everywhere, and those he cares little for are executed for treason." As he took back his hand, Perun noticed the downcast look that Tatsumi had on his face. "So, the reason the taxation on my village is so extreme, is because of him?

"Yes, and not just your village. Everyone." Tatsumi's eyes widened as Perun spoke. "Everyone knows the truth, they just won't do anything about it for they cannot do anything about it." The young man's eyes filled with tears of anger as his fist clenched. "And on top of that, the city is still afraid of Night Raid."

"Night Raid?"

"Assassins of the night, they target the upper class and nobility for the revolution." Perun pointed to a wanted poster on a nearby wall, showing off the bounty's of three assassins. "It would be wise to carry weapons on you at all times, especially here in the capital, you must be prepared for the worst at all times."

"I will."

"Good man." Perun nodded, he gave a small smile beneath his Crown of Tempests. "I now suppose we should help the missus now with her ordeal. " He then pointed to the simply ridiculously large box that Aria had bought. As Tatsumi gaped in shock, Perun chuckled.

**XXX**

It was nighttime at the manor when Perun was patrolling the halls. Eliana was in his head, quietly whispering to him about what she had found. The blood wasn't any of the family members, completely unidentified. But that wasn't all, she found more blood spots all across the house, near a shed.

Great, suspicious blood. Joy.

As Perun walked the halls, he spotted Missus Sadique humming to herself, holding her Diary. "Well well, now I can add another entry to my diary." She then giggled. "What an addicting hobby of mine." She then noticed Perun, and smiled to him. "Ah, guardsman. How are you to-"

* **SCHLLK***

Silent. Perun was silent in shock as his mistress was cleanly bisected from top to bottom, her top half falling to the floor while her lower body stood for a second, before slumping over. Behind the corpse stood a woman, with a large pair of scissors, bloody bloody scissors. She wore a simple white dress, had pink hair, and glasses. A white bow on her head.

She bowed to the corpse, saying "I'm sorry" as she did so. That was when she noticed Perun, who was drawing his Trinity Ghoul. "To you as well." She said, before lunging at him. He rolled out of the way, before firing three Arrows at her. She blocked them, but failed to notice Perun charging at her with his sword drawn. They clashed, taking turns swiping at each other, their blades clashing several times. He lunged at her, but she sidestepped him and made a swing, which he parried away. The two of them dueled fast and ferociously, before the two of them locked blades. The clash was even, both giving it their all. But Perun was tiring of this, and he began to charge Arc light in his hand. As soon as the killer noticed this however, it was too late. He ended the blade lock by directing the blades to the side, before sending out a burst of Arc Energy at her, sending her flying back. She hit the wall, and fell to the ground, unconscious.

He made his way to her, intent on ending her. " _W-Wait!_ _You have to find Lady Aria!"_ Eliana told him in his head. He stopped, and stood there. " _It's your job!"_

"*Sigh*...Right. Let's find her." And with that, he ran the opposite way, to find his charge. As he ran down the hall, his sword at the ready, he spotted someone looking out a window. It was Tatsumi! "What are you doing Tatsumi!" He yelled at the boy, who turned to see him. "Night Raid...they're here!"

"Yes, I'm very well aware of that! Are you going to help me with protecting Miss Aria or are you going to stand here like a coward!?" He shouted at the boy who, while taken aback by Perun's aggression, nodded in compliance and determination. "Let's find her!"

And with that, the two of them ran. Down the hall, to the stairs that led to a small grove. They ignored the sounds of slaughter around them, of gunshots and blades and screams. They ignored it all as they followed the path left in the dirt by Lady Aria.

They soon arrived at a shed, the same shed that El had told him about earlier. In front of it, another guard was protecting Aria as they ran to it. "There you are!" Tatsumi shouted as he panted for breath. Perun drew his bow and knocked arrows in it. "Lady Aria, are you unharmed?"

"Y-Yes."

"Good." And with that, he turned around, and fired at the forest, only for a figure cloaked in darkness to jump up and avoid the arrows. It landed before them, crouched. As she stood up, Perun lowered the bow, and drew his blade once again. She was a young girl with long black hair that reaches down to her knees and had red eyes. A dark sleeveless tank top with a white collar and a red tie covered her, as well as a red belt. Her blade, a katana, was long, and was colored pitch black.

"You are not a target. Leave while you can." She spoke directly to Perun, who responded simply. "That lady is my charge. I will defend her, no matter the cost." And with that, no more words were spoken as the assassin charged. She was fast, dangerously fast, for Perun barely managed to block her strike. The two then began to clash, a slash to the leg, a stab at the shoulder, a cut to the ribs, all dodged or parried or blocked. The dance to the death was simply fascinating to watch, if you were an outside observer.

Soon however, the two locked blades again, and this time Perun was pressing forward. As the assassin was slowly being overpower by Perun, she narrowed her eyes, before sidestepping to the side, forcing Perun to hit the ground. In an instant, she slashed across his stomach, ripping into the armor and cutting flesh. He grunted in pain as he stumbled forward, readying his sword. She lowered her blade however, and spoke a single word. "Farewell." Before he could question what she meant, he began to choke, his heart beginning to burst in pain! _"Perun! The blade...it's poisoned! It's almost like Thorn!"_

"Will...I...come back?"

_"Y-Yes."_

"Good." He spoke aloud, much to the confusion of everyone, before he fell to the ground. Dead.

**XXX**

"Ugh...this is so booorrrinnnnng!" Maya complained as she leaned back on a tree. Both her and Jace-10 had been keeping an eye out on their fellow fireteam member.

"C'mon Maya, we gotta wait!" Jace said in response, as he cooked the two of them their meal for the night. A simple stew, made out of whatever they found in the forest. A bit of deer, some wild mushrooms, some herbs, random ingredients. If the Drifter were here, he would be proud with all of his bizarre food obsession's.

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's just so mindbogglingly droll being here! I mean, we're just sitting here doing nothing, waiting for some sort of signal to rouse us from our current situation! Isn't that a little dull?"

"Well, when you put it like that-" Before the Exo Titan could continue, they felt something. A flash, a pulse of energy, followed by Bill shouting "Guardian down!"

"Was that...Perun?"

"Perun's in danger! We have to go save him!" With that, the Titan shot up off the ground, spilling over the meal, and summoned his Void Shield. As purple energy formed the barrier around his arm, he shouted "I'M COMING PERUN!" Before sprinting away towards the source of the pulse.

"Goddamn Jace!" Maya shouted as she began to follow him. Why, oh why, had she fallen in love with this idiot?

**XXX**

"You aren't a target. You don't have to die." Akame told the young man, who stood before her, unafraid.

"Yeah, well I can't let you murder a helpless little girl can I? And I especially can't forgive you for killing my friend!" Tatsumi growled in defiance, glancing at the body of Perun. Rage built up inside of him, as well as the desire to avenge his fallen friend.

"So you won't step aside then?" The killer asked, to which Tatsumi answered with him simply aiming his blade at her. "Then you've made your choice." As she prepared to attack, so too did Tatsumi. But, before any of them could move, they heard something neither of them would ever expect to hear, or never forget.

*Gasp*

Perun slowly got up from the ground, his body moving almost ethereal like. "Impossible..." Akame whispered in stunned silence. No man could ever survive Murusames poison!

"I can't believe it..." Tatsumi said as well. Perun, for his part, simply turned his helm towards the assassin, who gripped her blade even tighter. Flashes of Arc began to strike from his fingertips, and he clenched his hand into a fist. "Alright then." He finally spoke. "Let's go." And with that, he thrusted his hand forward, and threw lightning at her. Akame barely rolled away from the bolt of Arc energy, before being forced to dodge another one, and another. By the time the third one had ended, she was under the assail of gunfire. She blocked a few bullets on her way to a nearby tree for cover, but was grazed on the arms and legs by a few of them. Perun reloaded his Gnawing Hunger, before pulling out his Ballignant, and approached the tree. However, before he could make it to the tree, a figure pounced from the shadows! "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU ZOMBIE BITCH"

He was tackled, forced onto the ground. As he rolled onto his back, he finally saw his new assailant. The scam artist from two day's ago! But now with...animal ears? And a tail? And looking far more feral than before! For her part, she was just as shocked. "You?" She asked, stunned.

"Me." He answered. Before she could react any further. She hissed and yelped in pain as she felt bullets penetrate her body. She then grabbed the Warlock by the shoulders, lifted him off the ground, and threw him aside. He recovered however, with a boost from his levitation abilities. As he stood back up, he reloaded his sidearm as he drew his sword. The two girls paced slowly around him, cautious of their new foe. Tatsumi, for his part, stood in front of Aria, making sure to give his all if needed.

With no hesitation, Perun opened fire on Akame, who ran to the left, avoiding the gunfire. As he did this, the Warlock blocked a claw swipe from the scam artist, who Akame knew as Leone. He swiped at her, forcing her to dodge. He then shifted all attention to her, firing his gun at her arms, which allowed Akame to approach. As she lunged at him, he ducked out of the way, using his blade to parry the strike as well, forcing her to land awkwardly on the ground. This allowed him to sweep her legs with a kick, forcing on onto the ground. As he made a move to end her, he was stopped my Leone, who clashed with him.

On the sidelines, Tatsumi watched with awe as the dance to the death continued. It was like nothing he had ever seen before! So fast, so deadly, so strange! The lightning that Perun had used before...he was still using it! With blasts of it to send his foes back or to slow them down! He must've been a sorcerer!

The fight soon turned into a standstill, as both assassins stood injured, and the warlock out of bullets. "How...the...hell, are you still alive..." Leone asked, panting as her wounds slowly regenerated. Perun, for his part, gave no answer. He simply readied his blade again. As he prepared to go for another charge, he felt something pick him up from the back of his neck. "Buddy, you're in for a world of hurt." An armored figure, massive in size, hissed at Perun, who simply gave him a look and replied.

"oh shit."

The armor then threw Perun aside, right into a tree. The crack that came from the impact could be heard from miles away as Perun flew straight through the tree, splintering it in half. Landing on his pack, he groaned in pain as he slowly made for his handgun. But the armor was upon him instantly, and kicked it aside. "Sorry about this, but have to make sure you stay dead." But right as it was about to stomp his face into the ground, a voice shot out of the dark.

"PERUN! I'M COMING!"

"Wha-?" The armor asked, before being Slammed into by the void shield of Jace-10. The titan rammed into the assassin, known to his compatriots as Bulat, carrying him with his void shield into another tree. He shoved him onto his back, before viciously beating him with fist and void light. Bulat caught an incoming fist, and attempted a headbutt. Unluckily for him, Jace did so as well, and the Helm of Saint-14 was sturdy. As the two behemoths brawled with each other, Night Raid's resident Sniper, Mine, attempted to get a shot off on Perun, who was re-engaging Akame and Leone. As she aimed her sniper, Pumpkin, a shot rang out!

"Gaah!" She yelled as Pumpkin flew out of her hands onto the ground below. Out from the shadows, came Maya as she held her Golden Gun. She ran forwards, shooting at Mine and her companion, who ducked to avoid the incoming solar fire. As she made her way back to Perun, she managed to fire a round at Leone, who was hit and sent flying back. As soon as she made his way to Perun, the warlock unleashed the storm building within him, entering a Stormtrance! Jace then joined them, through being thrown by Bulat.

Assassins and Guardians. They stood in a standoff. Weapons and paracausal powers at the ready. Silence reigned over before Leone spoke. "Listen, maaaaaybe we got off on the wrong foot here."

"I wouldn't know." Maya responded. "You did just try and kill our resident warlock here."

"We have you 5 to 3, your outnumbered!" Mine shouted, as she aimed Pumpkin at the Gunslinger. She smiled at her underneath her Wormhusk Crown. "I like those odds."

"Listen. We're not here to hurt you, we're just here for her." Leone pointed at Aria, who was still hiding behind Tatsumi, in total shock. Akame glanced towards her friend, and quietly asked "What are you doing?"

"We came to do a job, let's finish it." She answered. "Besides...I don't think we'll get out of this fight clean if we keep doing it. Y'know, with the lightning hands, fire gun and magic shield?" She gestured to the guardians, who simply stood still, ready to re-engage with Night Raid. "Also, I owe that guy a favor, and I'm pretty sure he'd like to cash it in now." She winked at Tatsumi, who finally recognized her. "Hey! Your that girl with the boobs who took all my money!"

"Yep! That's what they call me." She grinned at him, who only glared. She then took on a neutral face, and continued speaking to the young man. "Listen, earlier you were concerned that we were going to kill innocent people." This put a stop to Tatsumi's rage...and caused Aria to whimper. Was it in shock, or fear? "I think you might see things differently when you find out what's behind that door." She pointed to the shed. However, before she could take another step, She heard the clicking of guns as the Guardians aimed their weapons right at here. "May I?" She cheekily asked, looking directly at Perun. He stayed silent, before nodding and lowering his sidearm. "Perun, what are you doing!" Maya hissed.

"Was investigating earlier. Somethings not right with this family." He whispered back. His fireteam leader remained silent. Leone then made her way to the door, and kicked it wide open. The door went flying off the frame and onto the floor, the bloody bloody floor of the shed. "Welcome to the capital Kid." She muttered as Tatsumi stepped inside, and gasped in horror.

Bodies. Mangled and twisted and beaten bodies adorned the walls in chains and rope. Tools of torture were stained red. "W-what is all this..."

"We learned that they fancied picking up out of town newcomers from the countryside and then torture them to death for their own sick, twisted entertainment. That's the reality of this poor, innocent, happy little family." She said as Tatsumi reluctantly stepped inside, and gaped in shock as he saw the corpse of...Sayo. She...she was dead! "S-Sayo?"

"You know who that girl is?" Leone asked rhetorically. Outside of the shed, Aria slowly tried to walk away, but was met a handgun held to her head. "W-What are you doing?!" She asked, stunned that her own personal guard had a gun aimed at her. "YOUR MY GUARD!"

"Shut up." Perun said in response, not hesitating to cock the gun. Leone took noticed, and grabbed her head with her claws, the young girl grimacing as she did so. "You really didn't think you could get away with this did ya?" Her voice was filled with sinister intent. But before she could speak again, the broken voice of Tatsumi whispered to all. "This family...did this...?"

"Yes, they did. And their guards are just as guilty for keeping it hidden." She then glanced to Perun, and he began to prepare his sword. "You're clean though. You've must've been a recent hire, right?"

"On the money." Leone smiled at him, which he only gave a nod too. Aria at this point, still in the clutches of Leone, began to shout. "She's lying! I never even knew about this shed! Who would you believe? These murderers, or the one who saved you?" Tatsumi stood there, silent as a grave.

"...Tatsumi?" A voice. A course, rough and desperate voice. From the shed. Tatsumi turned to his right, and his eyes widened in horror as he looked upon the mangled body of his friend. "I-Ieyusa?"

"S-She invited us to stay..." Ieyusa groaned out, the process to speak was visibly painful for him to do. "in her house...she gave us something to eat...and then everything went black. When I came too...we we're here...and-and then that girl...she tortured Sayo to death!" He gasped out as he finally fell to the floor, exhausted.

Aria glowered to herself, before shouting out "FINE! I DID IT OK? YOUR ALL JUST USELESS WORTHLESS FILTH! THEY'RE NOTHING BUT LIVESTOCK FOR ME TO USE AS I WANT!" She then pointed to the naked and mutilated body of Sayo. "GARBAGE LIKE HER DOESN'T DESERVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL HAIR WHEN MINES ALWAY'S GIVING ME TROUBLE! SHE GOT THE EXTRA SPECIAL TREATMENT WHILE HE WATCHED!"

"Sorry honey, I don't mean to interrupt your little tangent here, but your all kinds of disturbing." With that, Akame drew her sword while Perun and the other guardians drew their weapons on her.

"Wait!" Tatsumi shouted out, which caught everyone's attention. "Tatsumi, are you really going to defend her? You've heard from her own mouth what she has done." Perun spoke sternly. The young main stayed still, before speaking once again. "No...SHE'S MINE!" And with that, he charged at her with his blade drawn. With fury in his heart, he roared as he slashed across her chest straight through her heart. She gasped for the last time in her short, evil life, before falling to the ground, still.

All were silent as they watched Tatsumi, the young man, end her life. For Leone and Night Raid, they were impressed by his lack of hesitation, his fury, his drive for vengeance. For Perun and his fireteam, they weren't so impressed. Sure, he did the right thing, but killing was a drug. One can get addicted to the rush. No further proof of that than the corpse that stood at there feet."

"Well, shit. There goes another job." Maya finally broke the silence as she holstered her Thorn. "Jace, when we get back to the hideout, remind me to add another tally to the box."

"Which one? The 'went wrong cause of outside reasons' or the 'went wrong cause of the hirer was an evil bastard?'" The exo asked beneath his helmet.

"Both." She responded as she turned to Night Raid. "Welp, this was fun. Catch you all later, I suppose."

"Wait, we got some questions for you." The armored one asked, but was given a small salute from Maya. "Ain't that something everyone has though?" She spread her arms wide, as she spoke once again. "Eh, you'll probably find us sooner or later, You guy's got eyes everywhere don'tcha?" She then gestured to Fireteam Zeta. "C'mon guy's let's go home." With that, she began to walk away. Jace-10 following her, and finally Perun. As they walked away towards the moon, Perun turned around to look at Tatsumi, who stared back in awe. The Warlock only gave a single nod, and with a flash of white light, all three of them vanished into thin air.

"...What just happened?"

**XXX**

"Ok, ok, I'll admit it was my bad!" Maya sighed as they all sat around the table. As soon as they returned back to their hideout, Perun forced the Hunter to sit down at the table. To answer for her lack of research. "No shit it was 'your bad.' You didn't look into them at all!"

"Hey, we're desperate here!" She shouted back at the Warlock. "We're low on bullets already, you really think we can live without cash to get the stuff we need?"

"We have to be more discreet with what job's we take!"

"We need to get home too!"

"Guy's stop!" Jace finally shouted at the two, catching their attention. "Listen, I hate playing peacekeeper here, but I will if you guy's keep arguing like this! We all want to go home, but we have to be more careful ok?" He was met with silence as the two looked away from each other. "OK?" He asked once more, forcefully.

"*sigh* Fine. I apologize Maya." The warlock finally grunted out, to which the Hunter responded with a simple "Sorry."

"There we go. Now, we gotta come up with a plan now that Night Raid's gonna be lookin for us." The Exo spoke. Maya scoffed as she leaned back on her chair. "Yeah, we'll come up with something in the morning. Let's just grab some sleep alright? M'tired."

"Maya, we need to make a contigency-"

"Nope! Sleepy hunter is a sleeping hunter. Night Perun!" With that, she covered her eyes with her hood, and began to snore. Perun and Jace looked at each other, one in annoyance and the other in acceptance, before they both decided there was no arguing with her. They made their way's to their separate rooms, hoping for a good nights sleep.

All three of them never got good dreams after all.


End file.
